Governor General of Canada Julie Payette
Ottawa … News Time
Julie Payette, Canada’s governor general and Queen Elizabeth’s representative, has resigned over allegations of harassment in the office. According to Reuters, the resignation of the governor general will not be a problem for the government as it is a symbolic post for swearing in and signing legislation, but constitutional questions may arise. According to the report, Julie Payette resigned hours after the report of the independent investigation into the allegations of intimidation against her. “I have come to the conclusion that a new Governor-General should be appointed. The people of Canada deserve stability in this time of uncertainty,” the resigned governor-general said in a statement. “I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused the staff,” he said. Julie Payette is the first Governor-General to resign in the current government and will be replaced by a temporary Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Julie Payette, 57, took over as governor-general for five years in October 2017 at the suggestion of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and an investigation was launched against her in July last year. Defending him, Justin Trudeau said he was an excellent governor general. Julie Payette was previously the head of Canadian astronauts and became the first Canadian woman to be represented on the International Space Station. Justin Trudeau said in a brief statement that the resignation showed that harassment in the governor general’s office could be remedied, but did not thank Julie Payette. Government officials said that the issue of women would be taken up in the election of the Governor General and a strong candidate would be nominated by the special committee for the post. Opposition New Democrat member Don Davies said Julie Payette was responsible for not completing her term. Barbara Mesamour, a professor of history and constitutional expert at Fraser Valley University, said that this is not a constitutional crisis; there is a system in place to continue this position.
